Rebirth of the Chrysalite
by WJTW
Summary: Chapter SIX up! It will be a while before Chpt. 7 is up, though... This is something like a sequel to Oni's original story. For those who're looking for 'Aftermath', it is THIS story. I've changed the title, that's all.
1. Prologue: The Past

**_Rebirth of the Chrysalite_ by WJTW:   
A Story Based on the Oni Script "Aftermath"**  


Disclaimer: I do NOT own Oni, have the rights to it nor even helped develop it. Oni and the characters within are the product and property of Take Two Interactive unless the character(s) is/are invented by me (not many, though)  
  
  
ABOUT THE STORY  
  
This story is an expanded version of the storyline provided for the Oni script called Aftermath. Well, you cannot actually say the storyline provided at OniChars* is a real story, though.  
I highly recommend you play the script FIRST before the story…(more about the scripts at the end of the story…)  
  
Whatever… just get on with the story!  
  
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**PROLOGUE - The Past **  
  
  
**_Dec 03, 2032  
11:55 p.m.  
_ Project Sturmanderung_ Megacomputer Complex  
The Syndicate Mountain Compound  
_**  
  
CRACK!!  
  
The sickening sound of a communication trooper's back snapping echoed across the Sturmanderung Megacomputer Complex of the Syndicate Mountain-based compound.  
Mai Hasegawa pulled her leg away the Communication Trooper's back.  
Mai Hasegawa, otherwise known to the whole of Neo Japan as simply Konoko, was a rogue agent of the Technological Crimes Task Force (TCTF).  
Both the TCTF AND the Syndicate want her dead. She has no one left to trust.  
  
The purple haired agent brushed back her hair (which has grown quite long…) covering her beautiful green eyes and activated the console. Klaxons sounded, and the Sturmanderung Dish lit up.  
  
"Sigh… here goes…"  
  
Konoko did a small jump and landed on the platform supporting the enormous Dish, feeling grim at the thought that she would finally meet the person she wanted to get her hands on so much.  
Gears started turning and machines began churning and groaning as the platform slowly rose.  
Konoko wondered to herself. Since a few months back, she wanted nothing but to defeat Muro, the Syndicate Boss.  
Her brother.  
  
But now, being so close to Muro and on her way up to meet him, she wanted to go back down. She had several doubts, whether she would be able to defeat Muro and even if she did, would the world regard her as a heroine or still as an enemy? Would the TCTF continue to chase her? Would she be able to hide forever if they did?  
  
The green lights near the top only made her more nervous. The loud churn generated by the gargantuan machine didn't help, either.  
"Well, even if I wanted to quit now, its too late…", she thought to herself. She was right. Escaping would mean a 200 feet or more drop straight down to the machine's engine room.  
The platform slowed down gently as it approaches the top.  
Konoko expected Muro to be waiting for her. She took a deep breath, "Well, Mai, its now or never. The whole world depends on you now…"  
  
Kla-Chunk! The platform locked itself into position at the top.  
  
She looked around. Muro was nowhere to be seen.  
It was too quiet for Konoko. She was afraid this would be yet another wild goose chase, just like the time at the Musashi Manufacturing Plant.  
She looked up and saw the dish starting to pan. It pointed at the direction of the gaps in between two nearby mountains.  
  
The Dish seemingly sucked up orange-pink rings of energy. The intense heat of the energy collected by the huge Dish caused sparks to appear on the concaved surface of the dish. Konoko silently hoped the dish would not have a meltdown now that she has come so close to meeting and defeating Muro.  
  
Suddenly, a huge blast of orange energy was fired, then transforming into white pulses of extreme temperatures. Konoko could feel the heat from here. She shifted her legs uneasily, while looking around for Muro.  
  
The pulses of white rings were used as a mean to reverse the Atmosphere Processors' default settings – to process the poisonous gases and then release it into the air as breathable oxygen.  
  
Muro's going to destroy the whole world unless people are willing to subject to his wishes: sell your soul to him for a Chrysalis: the thing needed to survive the poisonous air being released due to the reversal.  
  
Footsteps were heard and came from behind Konoko.  
  
Konoko turned quickly face to face with a boy at his late teens. He was wearing dark clothing with a purple jacket that matches his purple hair. His long, pale and undeniably handsome face looked at the enormous dish before fixing those cold, emerald green eyes at Konoko.   
  
The teenage boy was Muro.  
  
Muro was escorted and protected by 2 Valkyrie (Red) Furies – personal bodyguards of Muro's. Trained in the harshest and strictest combat training environments, Konoko knew that she could possibly be pounded to dust if she wasn't alert enough.  
  
There was silence for a while.  
  
Then, Muro started speaking.  
  
"You were a FOOL to come here alone!" Muro's voice was different. It sounded sharper, more sinister. Konoko felt uneasy just by listening to the voice.  
Before Konoko could throw a reply, the sound of rotor blades could be heard from behind.  
All of a sudden, a huge, green helicopter emerged.  
Even though no wordings were on the helicopter, Konoko knew this helicopter belonged to the Syndicate. She had seen a few of these helicopters outside the main compound.  
_Oh, great… reinforcements! Now I'm toast._  
An evil grin painted on Muro's pale face; a grin so evil, Konoko could tell that even the furies beside Muro were feeling uncomfortable.  
The helicopter hovered several metres away from Konoko and the doors slide open to reveal… Griffin!  
_Griffin? What is he doing here?_ Konoko thought, obviously puzzled.  
  
Griffin, the old TCTF regional commander was in fact here to help Konoko. He gave Konoko a nod.  
Griffin did not come alone, of course. He brought along two remaining TCTF BlackOps (the others had been slaughtered by Konoko herself when she infiltrated the TCTF Headquarters earlier.) SWAT troopers. Konoko caught a glimpse of 2 hypo sprays, a kind of treatment for injuries, in the pockets of the TCTF Officers.  
Griffin brought along his trademark weapon: The Van De Graff, a weapon capable of stunning people by shooting a certain voltage of electricity through a person's body.  
  
"She ISN'T alone!" Griffin's eyes burned with anger. "You're under arrest… this ends, HERE and NOW!"  
  
Muro sneered at Griffin and proceed to speaking with his sister, "You trust him? He used you!"  
  
Why does it seem like Konoko's going to work with that old coot? This cannot be. Everything is planned, this shouldn't happen… these thoughts whirred through Muro's mind. He could not, obviously, believe his sister is going to fight him, her only kin, her only relation alive…  
  
"Join me, or DIE like all the others… choking on dead air and foul water." He scanned Griffin and his agents. The words 'all the others' were meant for them.  
"I have accomplished EVERYTHING our father dreamed of doing…"  
  
Konoko was totally pissed off. Is this what their father wanted? Killing people if they are unwilling to buy a Chrysalis, an invention of their father's? The Chrysalis was used to save lives!  
She knew what she must do and said to Muro, rejecting his offer, "He dreamed of life, all you know is DEATH!"  
  
"Surrender! We have you surrounded."  
  
He glowed orange in fury, with his fists clenched. If this is what his sister chose, to oppose him it is fine with him. She would have to suffer the consequences.  
He would wipe all of them from the surface of the Earth.  
  
"NEVER!!" He hissed, and attacked.  
  
  
  
**FOOTNOTES/Author's Notes**  
  
*OniChars – The Oni Character Analysis Site! (http://www23.brinkster.com/onichars/)  
  
## I know, I know… most of the story is written on what happened at the ending in the game. Bear with me, as the next chapter would be the real meat of the story. Hey, this is just the Prologue!  
  
## Oh, do play the Oni Script, Aftermath, as well! Yup! It's the Oni script this story is based upon.  
  
## There are actually 4 different versions of the Aftermath script; each on an alternate timeline but has the same basic storyline. The script that has the closest resemblance to this story (dialogue, fight sequences, etc) is the 4th part of Aftermath, named, simply, Aftermath IV… however, I'm still in the process of scripting it, so, hang on for a while…  
  



	2. Chapter 1: Discovering the Secret

**_Rebirth of the Chrysalite  
_CHAPTER 1: Discovering the Secret**

_**Dr. Hasegawa's Lab/Konoko's Apartment  
Monday, January 03, 2033 **_

Konoko let out a scream and woke up suddenly from her sleep, pushing her blanket down from her bed. Beads of sweat flowed down her beautiful face and she was panting heavily. 

_Damn! Not another one of these nightmares! Why can't I just forget the past? _

Since the day she defeated her brother, Syndicate Boss Muro, she had been having nightmare after nightmare about the Final Battle. And that was not what she wanted. She thought by not watching the news, she would not be reminded of this incident. But no. It simply would not leave her alone. 

Konoko picked up her blanket and fell back to bed. She shut her eyes tightly, trying as hard as she could to shove away the images of Muro. Part of brain told her that Muro was dead, gone, and there was nothing to worry about. But somehow, another part of her brain still made her worry. It was as if her brain had two personality, each one trying to command her thoughts. And the one which made her worry won every time.

After making several toss and turns, trying to enter Slumberland, she finally gave up. She took a few sleepy steps and placed her hands on the light switch. The light blinked, and illuminated her father's laboratory. This was where her late Father had spent countless, sleepless night with her late uncle, Kerr, researching and creating the Chrysalis, in the hope that humanity would be able to live even within the poisonous atmosphere, should the Atmosphere Processors fail to function some day.   
Even though her father was no longer around, she constantly imagined him sitting on the chair, and looking through the microscope. 

Hands still at the light switch, she was thinking heavily about what to do. Usually, even with these nightmares, she would eventually fall asleep. Today was different. She looked at the machinery (switched off, of course.), but turned away from them. _Nah. I know nothing about how these things work. Better not 'entertain' myself with them._ She finally decided to just go to the kitchen, and make herself breakfast.

The purple-haired nineteen year old was a Chrysalite, or a person being implanted with a Chrysalis. She learned from Kerr the purpose of the Chrysalis, and the purpose for his Father's hard work. The Chrysalis could fix damaged tissues. And she found out something else. A Chrysalite does not need to each as much as a normal human does. But she felt a sudden urge to eat something, even though she had just eaten yesterday. It was as if her Chrysalis was being drained. What's more, the need to eat lessened even more upon her mutation to the Imago stage of Daodan evolution. This further puzzled her. But she couldn't be bothered with this right now. 

She took out from the refrigerator 2 pathetic slices of bread. _Oh man! Why didn't I remember to buy the margarine? _She might not require much food, but when she _does_ eat, she want to make sure the food is enjoyable. She shook her head, half-smiling at herself at her forgetfulness. But she was also half-upset. There are some things she wished to forget, but haven't the privilege.

She sat down at the dining chair and stared at the boring wall patterns, while chewing at the near tasteless bread. 

This was the beginning of yet another day for Mai Hasegawa.

*******************

_**Over the cities...  
January 04, 2033**_

Two blue helicopters belonging to the TCTF flew over the near dead cities far below, heading towards a compound that once belonged to the Syndicate. This was the Syndicate Mountain Compound, the place where a battle that shook the world, or at least Neo Japan. The was the place where the world-feared Syndicate Boss, Muro, was defeated by a relatively unknown agent turned rogue agent (labelled 'one-woman-terrorist' by some), Mai Hasegawa.

Dr. Tori was in one of these helicopters, together with other top scientists in the TCTF. His best friend, Vincent, was sleeping, snoring occasionally, with his head 'dropping off' and swaying sideways. Vincent's golden hair shined with the rising sun.   
Tori, Vincent, and the other scientists on board were going to be the first scientists in the world for a decade (since the late Dr. Hasegawa and Kerr.) to examine a full-grown Chrysalis, and also get to examine first hand the effect of the Chrysalis on its host.

_Ah... the feeling of actually seeing it! Those theory books sure know how to make an interesting topic deadpan... _Tori looked out the helicopter's windows and rest his eyes, enjoying the concrete jungle below. A chaotic concrete jungle, to be precise. He could see flames licking the buildings, and the fire department trying frantically to put out the fire, only to have another one erupting nearby. Police cars were rushing through and fro, escorting ambulance after ambulance. Fragments of buildings came falling down, and missed the police cars by a few metres. Tori closed his eyes and prayed for the safety of everyone down there.  
  
The sirens were drowned out by the helicopter's churning blades. Inside, the sound of the blades and rotors were soothing, and it seemed to have an hypnotic effect, for Tori suddenly felt an urge to fall asleep. He could see now why Vincent, and another white-haired scientist, was sleeping. He let out a yawn, followed by a few more scientists, and closed his eyes again. He shifted his legs -- which was seemingly having a Leg War with the sleeping, white-haired scientist, fighting his legs for space -- trying to find a comfortable position, and placed his arm on his tummy. 

Within a few minutes after Tori dozed off, the rest fell asleep as well. They had been travelling from a distant TCTF HQ, starting their journey near midnight. It was definitely a miracle the pilot himself was wide awake. He cursed under his breath and mumbled to himself why they can't just bring the 'Crystalites' over to the HQ instead. And the snoring was making him more annoyed by the minute. _I'll make sure I ask the Pilot Commander for higher pay. And I even have to fly this thing BACK!_

Another ten minutes past, and the helicopter was far from any city. And even from a distance, the outlines of the massive Sturmanderung Dish could be seen. As it flew closer, the pilot saw that the dish was badly burned. He nearly vomited when he saw that on the blue-tiled ground, were up to ten corpses. He felt a little sick, but looked away, for fear he might crash the helicopter into the mountains nearby. 

He hovered the helicopter a 'safe' distance (safe for him, as that position was just right to make him not able to see the corpses.) and turned back. He tapped the back of a scientist that just woke up from his slumber. "Hey, tell those sleepyheads to wake up. We're here!" Apparently, the scientist didn't realise this. After all, he just woke up. A look of astonishment spread across his face. "Really? We're there?" He said, like a child who is having his first visit to the Theme Park. He turned his head and spotted the top of the dish. He shook the scientists around him violently with excitement.   
"First time in a field expedition, eh?" he questioned. The scientist shook his head. "Then, why the excitement? There's nothing but dead bodies down there!"  
The young scientist looked annoyed. "Do you know what the other scientists and I are about to do? We're about to discover the secrets of the Chrysalis!" The pilot looked blankly. "A Crystal... what?! I have Crystals at home as well... mah wife bought them. Why the need to come here, junior?"  
"Never mind! Just land this thing!" The annoyed look on the scientists' face grew more intense. _A Crystal... he don't even know the real name!_

Gradually, the scientists woke up one by one. Tori and Vincent were amazed at the Dish as well... "Jesus Christ! Vin, look at the size of that thing!" The helicopter was dwarfed by the dish, of course. Both seemed oblivious to the corpses around. They were still, for whatever reason, staring at the dish, probably wondering how such a thing could be placed up here in the first place.   
"Tell those two geeks to stop staring at the block of metal and get out." The pilot told one of the older scientists.  
Looking embarrassed, the two men stepped out of the helicopter. The rotors were slow enough for them to not need to 'brave the wind'.   
"Can't believe we're finally here, huh? Imagine, our names would be published in all major scientific books. I can just see our names in 'Greatest Scientific Experiments and Discoveries of the 21st Century'!"

They finally noticed those corpses. "Oh... my... god... That Konoko sure know how to create carnage... look at that! 2 Titan Elite Strikers! They really exist! And I really cannot believe Konoko actually slaughtered them!"

TCTF officers nearby were collecting the bodies of the dead troops.   
"How's this dead... erm, dead fury?" One of the agents asked another.  
"Awful... Look... broken neck bones!" the other agent pointed out.   
"Mine's even worse. The whole arm seemed to be twisted off or something."  
Both of them shook their heads and proceeded with their work.

The scientists, on the other hand, were gathered around Muro. This was the body they wanted.   
"Hmm... this is odd. A Chrysalite he might be, but dead is dead. He should be rotting..."   
"Yeah... do you think he would pounce on us in the helicopter? You know what I mean..."  
"Quit it with your rubbish, Carlos!" added another scientist.

"Step aside, people!" A TCTF agent waved his arms sideways, shoving away the scientists. "You can examine him all you want in the Science Prison." The scientists did as they were told, and went on to the other bodies, each trying to outguess each other on how they were killed, before being drove away again by another group of agents.

Within half-an-hour, the place was rid of bodies. A senior officer took out a voice amplifier and announced. "Everyone, gather here!" The people obeyed. Seeing everyone was around, he turned off the amplifier. "Now", he said, looking around, making sure everyone heard what he said. "We're not going off yet." A few groans from some scientists eager to start their experiments. "So, pilots, don't worry! We have brought along food and drinks. And boy, are they good!" He asked a nearby agent when they're going off. He nodded and turned to the crowd. "We'll be leaving in two hour's time. Relax, everyone!"  
More groans from the scientists, but they were drowned out by the cheers of the tired agents. Most noticeable was the overjoyed looking face of the pilot who flew the helicopter Tori was in.

Some agents laid down their mats (apparently expecting this Rest Period.) and one began grumbling. "I lost my sleep just for a half-hour of cleaning up of corpses. Why can't some other branch of TCTF do it?"  
"Because the other branches are no more, in ruins, dimwit! Don't you read the news?" replied another.  
The agent sat up, red in the face. He seemed to be wanting to jump onto the other agent, but was stopped just in time by another agent, "Hey, just be glad we have this rest period! We can lie down all we want, and feel the cool breeze, you know. Much better than that helicopter we came in." 

The scientists, on the other hand, weren't especially happy about resting now. They've rested enough on the helicopter. "Another two hours? That's two more hours wasted!" Earlier on, the helicopter they were arrived here on faced a problem, and had to be repaired. It took a whole half an hour. Otherwise, the helicopter would have arrived together with the TCTF agents' helicopter.   
"Quit your grumbling! Luckily for me, I brought some books to read," A young scientist added.  
"It better not be about the Chrysalis. Would tempt me even more to get back and start." A few of the scientists laughed. The scientists continued talking ("Hey, have you gotten the Daodan Probe manual I've sent you yesterday?"; "I wonder what it is like to be on TV after we get famous... how do I look?") and joking away about some of the commanders sitting nearby. 

## Notes from WJTW ##

### Ok. Stop grumbling about the sudden and most unsatisfying ending to this chapter. I couldn't think of a more suitable chapter-end. That's the disadvantage of typing at 4AM... :-P  
  
## I don't know if this is good enough for all of you. It's good enough, by my standards, for me, though. I might have certain difficulties putting my ideas across, so, everyone, REVIEW it and tell me where I've gone wrong. If you do not understand what I wrote, tell me, and I'll try to re-write the part.

### As I've said, REVIEW it!

### Also, visit my Oni website - OniChars - The Oni Characters Analysis Site @ http://www23.brinkster.com/onichars/  
### Remember to post at the forum there!   
  
  



	3. Chapter 2: Plans

**_Rebirth of the Chrysalite  
_CHAPTER 2: Plans**

_**# = Author's Notes**_

#   
Ah, notice the change in the title? I figured this story would get too long to be simply the aftermath of the original Oni's story. So, I came up with this long-winded name. Anyway, I brought back the older Chapter 2 to 3.  
Oh, sorry for not updating for some time.  
So, as usual, please read and review. Tell me what you think!  
  
_ -WJTW-_  
#

**_TCTF Kyoto Headquarters  
Board Meeting Room  
Wednesday, January 05, 2033_**

The TCTF Headquarters of Kyoto was one of the few that was unaffected by the destructive explosions of Neo Japan's Atmosphere Processors.   
The building is not as good-looking as the other ones, as it was the first to be built (way back in late 2013*****, when the TCTF was established.), but the facilities are as up-to-date as they can be. It was really a surprise this building could hold up, but it wouldn't really be once you check the maps. This building is not in close proximity with any atmosphere processor.   
This was now the headquarters used for the TCTF's board meetings, which was still held once a week (and sometimes twice or thrice, depending on the situation.). 

********************

The lights of the Board Meeting Room flickered and lit the room. The room is not as spacious as its counterparts in other branches, but it served its purpose. A chocolate-brown table, with wood-like patterns stood in the center, with a projector sitting on it. The room looked boring, with a really boring shade of beige for the walls******.

The air-conditioning was turned on, and twenty or so people in business suits filed in loudly, carrying thick green files with the TCTF logo on it. Yes, these people were the top or near-the-top TCTF officials.

Commander Terrance Griffin******* sat at the end of the moderately-long table, and placed his arms on the table, waiting, noticeably, impatiently. The others soon followed, placing their files nosily on the table, still chatting, and sat down. 

A few people groaned as they sat, shifting their weight about uncomfortably. With so many people around, and the chairs placed closely together, it was a wonder not to feel hot, even if the air-conditioner was at full blast (or so it sounded. It wouldn't be surprising if this air-conditioner is loud because of old age.)

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, I apologise for this most uncomfortable meeting place." Griffin said, "But we'll try to make it as fast as possible." He did not sound at all happy, either.  
He held out his hands to silence the people.   
"I have called this meeting to discuss a few important matters."  
Griffin cleared his throat, and continued, "Now, as you've all know, the recent destruction of the atmosphere processors have left us very short of agents. There are currently hundreds of locations around Japan that need our attention.  
"Apparently, the Syndicate have taken advantage of this period of chaos. Just yesterday, several buildings were bombed. Only two of the Syndicate agents responsible for these bombings were caught.   
"Several of our patrol cars and agents, including hospital staff, died in these explosions. This means we're even more short of agents as we'd before."

Griffin paused and waited for the people to digest what he said, before going on, "However, this reveal an even more terrifying thing: The Syndicate, even after the death of Muro Hasegawa, is still active, and we're not getting any closer, save for the Mountain Compound, in knowing the locations of the other Syndicate headquarters and bases. Whoever is the mastermind of this attacks is still at large, and without knowing the locations, we cannot break the chain of command and wipe the Syndicate out."  
"Right now, I would need suggestions on what to do."

For a moment, no one spoke.   
Then, a young man in his late-twenties, stood up and broke the silence.  
"Commander, I think I have an idea. My team, or, er, what's left of it (as some were in the cleanup missions), have been discussing this just yesterday, a few hours after the blast.  
"We've all found only one Syndicate headquarters, and that is the, erm, Mountain Compound. Just last year, Muro Hasegawa executed his plan, _Project Sturmanderung _on the Compound_._ The senior officers," He turned his head and glanced at the senior officers for a while before turning back to Commander Griffin, "would know that important projects like these would only be done on very important bases."  
"So, what are you getting at, Captain Daniel?" Griffin interrupted.  
"In these bases, important and top-secret records would definitely have been kept there. Records of the locations of the _other _bases, for instance."  
People started chattering and discussing again.  
_Good, _Daniel thought, _the people are getting excited about this._  
"Silence, people, let Daniel continue." Griffin said with an annoyed tone.  
"Now, since _Project Sturmanderung _can be considered a large-scale project, it is, therefore, no doubt that the Mountain Compound is an important base of operation. Commander, what I'm proposing is that we send a team of agents into the base to recover these information."  
"How would we be able to do that? We hardly have any agents left. We need every bit of manpower right now," raised a senior officer.  
"Yes, Daniel, in this chaos, we cannot afford to send our agents to such missions." Griffin reasoned.  
Daniel's face turned red. "But..."  
"I'm sorry, Daniel, but we really..."  
Daniel slammed his palm on the table, breaking Griffin's sentence.  
"Commander, we should really waste no time on this. If we delay this any further, I shudder to think what the Syndicate will do next. What we're doing is simply encouraging them. More people would die if we don't act now. Please, commander, I don't think we should delay this."

No one made any noise for the next thirty seconds. 

"Ask yourself, Daniel, even if I were to grant you the permission to send the agents to the base, we still do not have the resources to sweep through the whole of Japan now until everything else is settled. The Syndicate would _still _continue with their activities whilst we're busy."  
Daniel stood there silently. _Yes, the commander is right... we're not really benefiting from this.  
_"I hope you understand the dilemma we're facing now, Daniel." Griffin said.  
_Young people today just like to jump to conclusions... and I'm suppose to give up, sooner or later, my position to them. _He shook his head, and heaved a sigh.  
Griffin looked at his watch, and spoke on, "Anymore suggestions?". He looked around at the people's faces. Some were busy discussing something, while others were seemingly blank.

"Commander," said yet another senior officer, "after some thoughts, I've come to think what Daniel proposed is somewhat logical."  
"And why may that be so?" Griffin asked.  
"Well, you see, the Syndicate is waiting. Waiting for a chance to take back that particular base. But since we've already discovered the location, I doubt the Syndicate will think it is wise to do so. But remember the information?   
"We've known the Syndicate for long, and it wouldn't be a surprise they've already known what Daniel is planning to do. Right now they would not return, for they know it is still not safe, with the groups of scientists and TCTF agents checking out on the Sturmanderung Dish's condition every other day."  
Another officer suggested, "Then, we should have teams of agents there guarding the place, so, the Syndicate wouldn't dare go near."  
"_Ah,_" The senior officer said, "Have you forgotten our shortage of agents? Having them go _everyday _wouldn't be feasible, right? Why not just send a team, retrieve the information be done with it?"

"Wait a minute," Griffin stopped him, "All this while, we have been making assumptions. We can_not _be sure that this really is one of the few headquarters with that information, and yet, all this while, we've been assuming that it is."  
Daniel stood up suddenly. "This is a risk we have to take, commander. We have to take action before rejecting an idea altogether."  
"Yes, he is right," added the senior officer, "and if I remember correctly, a handful of agents have recently completed their training. They've not been sent on the rescue and cleanup operations because of their lack of experience."  
He was right. These agents completed their training two days ago. Initially, Commander Griffin wanted them to have them go on the field to help out with the cleanup, but certain officers advised him against it. He accepted their advice, and they agents are currently inactive.  
"We don't need to have many agents, but enough to comb the entire compound in a reasonable time-span.  
"We'll need one experienced leader to lead them, though."  
"So, commander, what do you think?"

Commander Griffin placed one of his arms on the desk, supported by his elbow. He rested his head on it, with his fingers spread across his forehead.  
He was thinking hard.

Everyone looked silently at Griffin, awaiting his decision. Only the churning and grumbling of the air-conditioner could be heard.   
They could see Griffin was having a hard time from the frown he had on his face. Daniel, too, was seated and waiting eagerly, hoping against hope for a positive answer.

Finally, Griffin started speaking, the frown gone from his face. "How many of the new agents you've mentioned are there?"  
"Ten, sir." The senior officer answered.  
"Alright, we'll go on with Captain Daniel's plan." He turned and faced Daniel, "Daniel, you better hope this will work."  
"Now, of the ten agents, send five out. This should be adequate for the combing of the facility. As for the squad leader, I'll leave him to to be chosen by you, Daniel."  
"Thank you, sir!" Daniel said, beaming with pride.  
  
"So, if nothing else is to be said, dismiss." Griffin said. The officers bowed and left the meeting room. Griffin was the first to leave. He was thinking hard over his decision. He was still unsure whether it was right for him to give the green-light to Daniel's proposal. 

But it's certainly worth a try. 

**Footnotes **

***** A timeline for the events in Oni is being written... the timeline prior to the events in Oni's main story is not identical to the actual story's. But the timeline after would be the same. 

**** ** Notice why I've always said the walls are boring in, for example, Konoko's apartment and the board meeting room? The game's textures are boring, aren't they? :)

******* This full name is not invented by me. It is stated in the console at the bottom of the Office Complex in the Regional State Building level, on the other side of the 'Red Room'. You'll have to deactivate the laser-sensors to get to the console (unless you're _ really very_ good at Oni.)

**# Author's/WJTW's notes #**

# So, this is Chapter 2. Hope it is satisfying enough. I'm really not that good in making dialogues, but I'm willing to listen to your comments! Keep them coming!

# Anyway, I've completed Chapter 3 as well because Chapter 3 was initially meant to be Chapter 2. So, the wait for Chapter 3 wouldn't be long. I'll just amend certain parts before uploading it.

# As usual, visit OniChars - http://www23.brinkster.com/onichars/

# Oh, and visit my Oni fanfiction site too: OniFanFic - http://www32.brinkster.com/onifanfic [yes, that's '32'] _**  
**_


	4. Chapter 3: The Search

**_Rebirth of the Chrysalite_   
CHAPTER 3: The Search**

_**Syndicate Mountain Compound  
Thursday, January 06, 2033**_

"Listen, chaps, you all know what to do, right?"   
"Make sure you search through the terminals thoroughly!"  
"Yes, sir!" The TCTF agents answered the squad leader in unison.

The TCTF agents were sent to the Mountain Compound for an important mission. Captain Daniel had suggested to a doubting Commander Griffin, with support from a senior TCTF officer, that this particular Syndicate base was the Central Base of operations of the Syndicate's in Neo Japan. Why wouldn't it be? Only an important base would be the Base of Operation for _Project Sturmanderung._ Plus, the TCTF come to think that Muro would only be found in Central Bases around the world, and would visit no-where else.  
Thanks to the tracker placed on the late Boss Muro's Vertical-Take-Off-and-Landing (VTOL) plane placed late last year by Konoko, locating this base was made easy. 

A Central Base would contain the locations of all the other bases in the Neo Japan, none of which the TCTF had discovered since the formation of the WCG. TCTF officers would be sent into the Mountain Compound, look thoroughly through every computer terminal available. The agents were each given decryption codes for this purpose.  
Now, all the TCTF officers have to do was to report to the TCTF Headquarters all the locations of the sub-bases they've discovered, and a raid will be conducted on all these bases, clearing entire bases of Syndicate troops, and hence, recovering all the stolen technology, and using the computer terminals in _those _bases, the locations of facilities for the storage of illegal technology and weapons will be made known.

The helicopter touched down on the tarmac outside the main complex of the Syndicate base. The TCTF agents, 5 of them, including the squad leader, stepped down on the hard ground. 

"Now, Carl", the squad leader pointed at a blond, tall agent, "hold onto these plans of the complex."  
The plans were obtained from a fallen Communication Trooper's pockets during the 'collection' of the corpses in the Compound.   
"Are your plasma rifles armed? Remember, be constantly vigilant! There might still be Syndicate troops around!"  
"Yes, sir!"  
"The decryption and storage disks' with you?"  
The agent being questioned replied, "Sure. See, I have them here." He took out a box containing the disks. There were 2 types of disks, with 6 to each type. One was for the decrypting the Syndicate's computer code, and the other is for storing the information extracted.   
"Good, Dave. Each of you, take one of each type of disk." The agents took the disks and placed them into their pockets, and strapped them carefully, ensuring they wouldn't fall off.  
  
The snow covered ground shuffled under their boots. Or rather, the snow shuffled when the boots 'cut' _through _them.  
Flakes of snow still fell, and the snow got a few inches too deep for the agents' liking. An agent fired shots from the Plasma rifle to melt the snow within a few feet from where the projectiles struck. The trouble of 'snow-plowing' was soon eliminated.

Some TCTF agents gazed, through their helmet's visor-cum-binoculars, at the sniping towers that rose like a dark shadow some distance away. Slight patches of burnt marks can be seen. They only turned away after making sure no one's standing behind those towers.

Finally, they reached the complex's entrance. The entrance led to a room with a broken window, and to the right was a non-functional alarm console. "You two, check out the terminals in that room, we'll..." The squad leader walked towards a door leading towards yet another room. The door slide open to reveal another room. He pointed at the far corner of the next room, and continued, "We'll wait for you at that end, clear?"   
The two agents nodded and hurried off.

The remaining 4 agents walked through the door in double file, scanning around with their rifles from left to right, making sure the coast is clear. The area is divided into two sides by a rectangular block in the middle. This block has two rooms side by side, both of which are accessible from either sides.   
_Good... the laser sensors were deactivated before. _The squad leader smiled to himself, _This is going to be fast..._  
The agents divided into two groups, with each group checking the terminals in each room. 

"Hmm... not many computers around." Dave noticed. He entered the first room. The computers that were around just had information about blast doors and facility security. His partner was also, noticeably, equally disappointed.

The squad leader, Shinjoh, waited for the encryption code to be cracked. A _blip _indicated the process is done. Shinjoh eagerly looked through the contents on the screen, searching each and every file for signs of the other bases' location.  
It proved fruitless. "Nothing here, sir, either. I've even checked through every terminal twice", his partner said.

Dave and his partner came through the second room's door. Dave shook his head.  
"Sigh... let's wait for the others...", Shinjoh said.

Soon, the other two agents joined them, also with negative results.

The agents stood on either sides of the door, and one pressed the open button. The door slided open and the 2 agents closest to the sides pointed their guns at the newly revealed entrance. "Ok, no one's around." 

"This place is too big... it wouldn't be wise for all of us to check through the terminals. Carl, give me the plans for the complex." Shinjoh took the blue sheet of paper. "Let's see... it appears we will have to split again." 

The entire, warehouse-like area of the complex had two symmetrical parts, with glass windows facing each part. Clearly the person who made this map had done his homework. Each room was clearly labelled to have _very _important computer terminals. 

Dave was put in charge of the other group. They ran across the bridge that linked both sides, their boots clicking and clacking on the white tiles.   
Dave stopped suddenly.  
"Wait..." Dave held out his arm to stop his fellow agents from moving further.   
"Wah, careful, Dave! Why are you stopping suddenly?" one agent said.  
"Did you hear that? I think I heard something..."   
"What sound? It must be your stomach groaning." another agent quipped in.  
"Be serious! I think I heard breathing... Sounds unlike ours..."  
"It must be a leaky ventilation pipe or something... let's go."

A door led to a room bathed in red. It was safe to enter, and they entered the main computer rooms. "Oh dear... we're going need some serious searching..." He was right. The entire room contained a lot more computer terminals than both the rooms they had been to. Dave had a worried look on his face. _How long is this going to take? I'm beginning to dread this already. _

"Ok, guys, let's get to work."

The same thing for the other 3 agents. This room has even more terminals. 

For the next few minutes, only the tapping (and smashing of a terminal when a search returned null.) of keys of the terminals could be heard. "Blast! What's taking these terminals so long to search through the files?" Shinjoh tapped his fingers impatiently. Usually, he wasn't such an impatient person, but the thought of having more and more terminals to search through. _And we've only merely started our search... _  
"No results found." appeared on screen. Shinjoh grew red with anger. His fingers were itching to press the trigger on the Plasma Rifle and blast this terminal. 

With each failure, they began to question the Syndicate's intelligence. _Why the hell did they not label what a terminal does? We wouldn't be on this hopeless search by now!_

Carl, too, was losing patience. He was wondering how the other group was doing, and hoped the others will eventually find it, and end this search.   
But the others were not given the chance to find it...   
_He_ found it. Or rather, he thought so. "Item Found". The eerie green words blinked on the screen. Carl's heart jumped a little, and he proceeded to Load the file found.   


DECRYPTION DISK/CODE, PLEASE...

Carl slotted the decryption disk, and crossed his fingers, hoping it will work.   
It did.

DECRYPTING... please wait...  
  
DECRYPTION SUCCESSFUL,   
OPENING FILE: "BLoc_2x.wpt"...  
--------------------------------------------------

Syndicate Mountain Compound/Central Base, Neo Tokyo  
Syndicate Sub-bases: Neo Tokyo

Number of sub-bases: 12

*The locations are listed in terms of distance from the Central Base (this base.).

|

|

|

|

Carl scrolled through, and his heart leapt one more time. This was the file they've been searching for, all right. He removed the decryption disk and inserted the storage disc. "Now, to Save it."  
A progress bar appeared on the screen, and Carl waited, this time, patiently. A "Saved..." appeared on screen, and he took the disc out.

"Sir! The search is complete, sir!" He ran towards Shinjoh.   
"What? You sure this is the right file?"  
"Absolutely, sir. Here, I'll load it for you."  
Shinjoh scanned the file, and nodded. "Good work, Carl," He patted him on the back, "I'll inform the others."  
Shinjoh activated his intercom and related the good news. "Really? That's great! We'll come right over." Dave's voice said. He took out a marker and labelled it, before slotting it into his pocket.  
  
Dave told the others. "Everyone, our work here is done. Let's get out of here."

They marched out of the room, with noticeable expressions of relief.

Then Dave heard something again. A metallic sound... He strained his ears, trying to hear it again, but nothing else was heard. _Never mind... probably just my imagination..." _But he wasn't prepared to let his guard down. He pointed his Rifle on the pipes that ran across the ceiling. _Strange... the pipes are intact. Must be something else that's hissing._

Shinjoh, too, prepared to leave. They walked through the door and proceeded down the hallway.

Shinjoh activated his intercom once again. "Captain Daniel, we've found what we want."  
A slight cackle.  
"Good, Shinjoh. Try to get back as soon as possible."  
"Yes...

A metallic laughter that broke the conversation was heard, and both Carl and Shinjoh were hit from behind. They staggered, and pointed their Plasma Rifles around. "Who's that? Show yourself!" Shinjoh ordered.

Another metallic laughter followed. Shinjoh turned to face the entrance. Two dark figures stood, blocking the entrance.

"What happened, Shinjoh? Answer me!"  
"Ninjas..."_  
_"What?"

The ninjas wore a black uniform, complete with black, shiny armor. The red dots that allowed their eyes to see completed the fearsome look of the ninjas'. These ninjas were more powerful than the Avenger class ninjas. Much more powerful... _Impossible. _Shinjoh thought. Dark Ninjas were supposed to be merely rumored to exist. No one has ever seen one yet. 

"Your leader seem to have something he is not supposed to have..." One ninja spoke to Carl in an eerie, airy voice, looking at Shinjoh.

"Oh yeah? And you think we're going to give it to you?" Carl fired 2 shots at one of the black ninjas. The ninja leapt into the air and dodged the two projectiles.

Bad move. That was a _really_ bad move. 

Dave saw the ninjas confronting of Shinjoh. He signalled to his team to hurry. "Quick, the others are in trouble!"  
But they were stopped dead in their tracks by another dark ninja. "Going somewhere?"

The black ninjas, as swift as lightning, dashed towards the agents. They were just a blur to the agents.

A Black Ninja leapt into the air and bored into Carl's face with his powerful legs. Carl collapsed, dazed. Blood oozed out from his mouth. Carl got his body up, face distorted in pain. The ninja wasted no time. Almost immediately, both his legs were clutched strongly onto Carl's neck like a vice. Carl was being choked. The ninja swung his arms like a helicopter blade, and Carl was flipped to the ground. Carl's neck broke with a snap. 

Dave was punched five times in his chest, and vomited bright red blood, and struggled to remain conscious. He wanted to reach for his Plasma Rifle, but was kicked hard in the face, a few teeth falling out with the blood.  
The other two agents tried stopping the ninja from further injuring Dave. But the ninja was too fast. He flipped several times in the air and dropped like a bomb right on the heads of all three agents.   
Dave's helmet cracked from the impact, and he fainted. The other two agents were in no better condition. The two agents tried to run away, but the ninja was in front of them in an instant. He grabbed both agents by the neck, and with amazing strength for a ninja, threw one right down into the loading bay below, killing him instantly.  
The other agent was choking. He felt the power radiating from the ninja's body, and knew his end was near. The ninja dashed, with his fists still clutched like a vice around the agent's neck, and smashed the agent right into the metal crates. The impact was staggering. The metal crate rocked, and the agent's spines were snapping and his backbones were shattering. He was barely alive. The ninja hit him hard against the wall once again, and the eyes of the agent nearly popped out.   
The ninja let go, and the agent's body crumbled, all the life gone from him.

Shinjoh watched in horror as the two agents on the bridge died. He tightened his grip on the Plasma Rifle, anger surging through him.

Meanwhile, the other two agents in front of Shinjoh were not having much luck either. Plasma Rifle projectiles were dodged easily by the ninjas. _At this rate, we'll never beat them.  
Our only hope are these Plasma Rifles...   
_"Turn on RapidFire mode!" Shinjoh ordered his co-agents. Loud booms sounded through the hallway as the projectiles from the rifles fired at two times the existing speed. The yellow-orange projectiles impacted and exploded on the walls and this time, on the the dark ninjas as well.  
"Yes!" Shinjoh cried out in triumph. "Keep it up, everyone! We're hitting them!"  
But when the dust and smoke lessens, they noticed that the projectiles only made the ninjas glow pink.   
"WHAT? We've fired nearly all our clip and they're..." His fellow agent exclaimed, unable to contain his disbelief.   
_Boss Shields... _He heard of these shields before. A Syndicate creation. The WCG has never been able to mimic such creations. Their own Force Shields can only withstand certain amount of damage before being depleted.

The two ninjas flashed past. Shinjoh and the other agent were both knocked to the ground, the Plasma Rifles flying out of their grip. 

The other agent managed to reach for his Plasma Rifles, and stood up, only to be face to face with a ninja. _One last shot... better make this good._

The agent shuddered when the ninja gave a metallic cackle. "Eat this, shadow freaks!" His fingers positioned at the trigger, and prepared to pull it.   
Then, the rifle was gone from his hand.   
The agent blinked, then looked up and stared at the ninja.   
The ninja had the rifle now...   
"You're mine..." the ninja hissed.   
The agent closed his eyes, awaiting his fate, as the projectile punched through his chest, nearly vaporizing his lungs. He crumbled to the ground, and drew in one last gasp before life gave up on him.

The ninja dropped the now empty Plasma Rifle, and moved towards Shinjoh.

"NO!!" Shinjoh yelled out loudly. _These agents barely got started as TCTF officers, and... _Even though they only met for a while, Shinjoh had begun to like and enjoyed these agents' company. _And now... _  
  
Shinjoh stood his ground, Plasma Rifles pointed at the ninja. He's going to try everything he can to stop these ninjas. He fired rapid balls of fire from the Plasma Rifle. Never mind that it seemed to deflected by the ninja's Boss Shields.  
The ninja walked calmly, shaking his head. "Give up, agent..."

He felt a cold wind from behind. A ninja was behind him. Before he could turn around, he was carried two metres into the air, upside down, and was drilled, head-first, towards the ground. The ground cracked with the impact.

Blood flowed out from the cracked helmet. Shinjoh's intercom was still activated. "Shinjoh, Shinjoh. Are you there?" Captain Daniel's muffled voice sounded through it. The ninja stepped hard on the little mechanism, and it sparked and was silenced.

For a while, there was absolutely no sound.

Then, an eerie, metallic voice broke the silence:

"Neutralised..." 

# WJTW/The Author says:

## That's all for Chapter 3! I think the 'fighting sequences' were not very well described. What do you think? Please review!

## I'm trying to make each chapter in ROTC short enough to be digestible. I wanted to add another part to this, but it'll be   
## in Chapter 4.

## It seem this chapter is a little too long, though.

## So, as I've said, start reviewing it! Even if you've reviewed the first two chapters, please review again for this! 

## Oh, remember to visit OniChars -   
## And OniFanFic - [yes, it is a '32'.]


	5. Chapter 4: Failure and Success

**_Rebirth of the Chrysalite  
_CHAPTER 4: Failure & Success**

_**TCTF Kyoto Headquarters  
Thursday, January 06, 2033**_

"SHINJOH! SHINJOH!" Captain Daniel shouted into the intercom.

A loud burst and crack followed, and the intercom was crackling and hissing madly. A faint, distorted voice could still be heard -- "Ne--ralis-d" -- before the hissing stopped and silence followed. 

_Neutralised... _Captain Daniel shivered as he thought. _The men are dead. Dead.   
_He sank back into his chair. He was completely at a loss at what to do. 

What was it that Shinjoh had said to him? Something was attacking them. It sounded like "Ninjas". Whatever it was, Daniel knew he is going to be in big trouble. He had Griffin's trust that this would work, but he failed him. _Griffin had warned me about the shortage of agents. How am I to report to Commander Griffin now?  
_The thought of facing Griffin was nerve-wrecking. He had heard from fellow colleagues, who were unlucky enough to have experienced it first hand, about Griffin's temper. Many of his usually strong colleagues have had been reduced to straw like conditions after coming out of Griffin's office.

Just then, the intercom on his desk beeped. Daniel pressed a button, and a voice said, "Captain Daniel, sir, Commander Griffin wishes to know the progress of the search. He wants you to report to him at his office."  
Daniel sank further back into his office chair, and just replied dully from his chair as he pressed the 'speak' button, "Ye- yeah, thanks, Elisa, tell him I'll be there in a while."

He covered his face with his palms. His usual composed self seem to be gone completely from him.   
He reached for the EJECT button and took out the disc which contained the records of the intercom communication, and then stood up.

He tried to calm himself by taking in a deep, cold breath. It had worked everytime, but not now. _What is over is over. No use brooding over it now._ He thought to himself_.  
_With that, he advanced towards the steel doors which slide opened when he got near them, almost as if inviting him to his 'doom'.

The walk to Griffin's office was usually long, and he dreaded every moment of it. His mind wandered back to the looks on his colleagues' face after being scolded by Griffin. He gulped a little at the thought.

Finally, he was outside Griffin's office. He spoke through the intercom.   
"Commander... Captain Daniel reporting."  
A slight pause later, Griffin's voice came through, "You may enter."  
The gray door slide open to reveal Commander Griffin's office. Commander Griffin was sitting behind a desk with piles of paper and ring files on top. 

"Yes, Captain Daniel. The progress of the search?" Griffin questioned in an authoritative manner while still writing on the file and not looking up at Daniel.  
Daniel gave a soft, almost inaudible groan before saying, "Sir... we--we lost the team."  
Griffin stopped writing suddenly and dropped his pen. He looked up, his eyes widen in shock.

_Oh great. Prepare yourself, Daniel!_ He thought to himself, sweat already beading on his nervous face. He felt even worse when a cold draft from the air-conditioner brushed through him. He shivered at the cold, and gripped his fingers tightly.

"What? Is this true, Captain?" Griffin's voice boomed in question.  
"Yes, sir. I heard it through the intercom." Daniel tried hard to make himself less nervous.   
"HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?" Griffin's eyes flared up, staring at Daniel sharply.  
"Ninjas, sir. Shinjoh said nin--ninjas were attacking them." Daniel stuttered. "They were killed by the ninjas, I think--"  
"Think? Think?? If you've thought of the consequences, we wouldn't have lost those agents! Fresh recruits that would've been useful elsewhere!"  
Daniel just stood there, feeling very bad about it, and couldn't bring himself to speak. So many lives had been lost because of that.  
"Before you've sent your team, I've warned you about the possibility of enemies still in the complex. What have I told you about potential danger? Have you taken heed of my warnings, Captain? Have you informed the squad leader of this?" Griffin questioned, his face twisted into one of anger. Daniel tried to look away from the questioning stare that seemed to bore through him, but he could not. He squirmed a little before answering Griffin's question.  
"Yes, sir. I told them to be constantly vigilant. I trusted Shinjoh to remind his team-mates, and he did. He had reported--"  
"And I trusted you, Daniel. I trusted you to make this mission a success. You really disappoint me." Griffin interrupted. 

There was a huge gap of silence as Griffin stared hard at Daniel, who stood bravely, but obviously uncomfortably, still and looking at the face of Griffin.

Yes, he had trusted Daniel to do the work well, and he failed. He was disappointed, yes.   
He wanted to shout at Daniel. The agents he lost in the mission were extremely valuable at times like this, and they were lost just like that. He wanted Daniel to know the thing he had done wrong. He looked closely at Daniel, and saw in Daniel's eyes a sorry look, and saw Daniel truly sorry for his failure. He knew Daniel had already known his mistake.   
The anger in him is so hard to control. He had told himself to be less impatient and overly critical ever since the incident with Konoko, but this is just not something he could control easily. The loss of six agents that could have been valuable! But worse of all, the death of five of the agents who are just new to this. In his entire career, he had known a lot of deaths. He too, had been pointed at by a gun. He knew these agents, when they joined the TCTF, were aware of the danger once they become full-fledged agents, but it doesn't mean such deaths can just happen as and when they liked. There were many he could have prevented, but didn't. This was one of them. If only he had rejected Captain Daniel's proposal.  
Daniel noticed Griffin's face muscles relaxing a little, a bit of the unpleasant look gone.  
Daniel felt terrible about leading those new, rookie agents into their deaths. "Commander... I have failed you, and shall readily accept punishment." He stood there bold and firm. However, it soon gave way once more to his initial, nervous appearance. Even though he was prepared, or at least he thought so, to accept punishment, he did not know what to expect.  
The look on Daniel's face reminded Griffin of another agent, he knew when he ascended to the rank of Regional Commander, who had since become a sub-commander in another branch outside Neo Japan. That agent, now his friend, looked like this when Griffin first reprimanded him for a failure.   
Somehow, Griffin can never bring himself to be angry at that agent for long. He wondered if he he might be having the same problem now... _Six agents have died for God's sake, and I can't be angry at him for long?! What the hell is it with me! _Griffin's mind screamed at itself. 

Then, Griffin realised what was actually wrong, because he felt a slow contraction of his lungs, and he had to breathe deeper to get the air he needed. The events that had happened late last year had seem to eat into his energy more than before. The stress, the pressure that came and attacked him when he realised Konoko's Daodan spike was getting out of control and even now, the reports of the Syndicate making use of the troubling times to wreak havoc, was taking its toll. Just shouting a little at Daniel took up a lot of energy. In his prime, when he was 'Iron Man Griffin'**1**, he could have shouted for hours. But not now... 

In short, he is getting too old... it might be time for him to retire. 

His shoulders slumped a little. Six more agents... at this critical time. He shook his head, and looked back into the eyes of Daniel.

"Yes, Daniel. You shall be punished, but for a TCTF agent of your rank... I would have to discuss it with my superior." Griffin said, his tone lessening a lot in harshness. Daniel heaved a sigh of relief, but soft enough for Griffin not to notice. _ Strange..._ he wondered to himself. _Griffin wasn't all that bad... I wonder if something is bothering him... _Daniel chose not to think so much. He might be tired, that's all.  
  
Griffin down on his desk for a moment, seemingly completely resigned, and then looked up again at Daniel, his face giving him a tired look. He asked softly, "Tell me, Daniel... why and how did this happened?" 

Daniel nodded slowly, and without hesitation, took out the disc he brought over and inserted it into a player on Commander Griffin's desk.   
"Here, Commander." He pressed _Play_, and Shinjoh's voice was soon heard through the player.   
Griffin listened intently, fingers still laced together.  
He sat up when he heard the word 'Dark Ninjas' and and faint eerie voices of the ninjas themselves from a distance. Several loud explosions could be heard, and he also heard screams and the rapid clattering of boots on tiles.  
He was noticeably shocked when he got to the part where the agent exclaimed the uselessness of the Plasma Rifles.   
"NO!!!!!" Shinjoh's voice blared. The expression on Griffin's face was getting more and more horrified. Daniel had never seen this expression worn on Griffin before. An eerie "Give up, agent" was heard, and the intercom crackled.   
A sickening, almost loud 'boom' could be heard through the player's speakers, and a second later, a crack followed. The intercom was silent, picking up extremely muffled noises.   
"Ne--ralis-d" hissed out from the speakers and a second cracked followed. This time, no more sound followed.

Griffin's shocked and horrified expression turned into a frown. Dark Ninjas... rumours becoming reality. Impossible. Griffin seem to have aged many years in just that short timespan, much more than he had before this. Through the entire time the recording was played, Daniel was standing uneasily and nervously, and yet another cold draft made him felt worse than he had ever felt before.   
Now he was hoping he had never opened his mouth to propose that plan of his at all...

********************

**_Syndicate Underground Command Centre  
Thursday, January 06, 2033_**

Loud, dull sounds of machines clanking and beating boomed in the tunnels. Hundreds, even thousands, of workers scurried around like ants in an anthill, working the gigantic machines. Rocks fell, and new tunnels formed as another machine bored through the rocks.   
The machine carried with it huge pipes and black cables, thick and thin. The machine slowly came to a halt, and several workers drove their own industry vehicles towards the machine, and prepared to load the cables and pipes.   
Many workers hauled the thinner, and lighter cables, and proceeded to install them. A few workers ran several tests to ensure the cables are in top-notch condition. Once they were checked, the cables were fastened to a couple of metallic vices for support, and the tips were connected to huge ports.   
Shouts of "Hurry up! Quicken your pace!" can be heard. Everyone was eager to keep on schedule. Disappointing their employers was the last thing they have on their agenda.  
The pipes were installed at the edge of the steel reinforced tunnels, and connected to a central pump.   
Soon, the almost-chaos subsided. Workers ran to their designated posts, and looked at the thing they've constructed.   
The head worker strode towards the main control box, and, using the touch screen interface, activated the mechanism. 

A dull groan sounded. Soon, a louder, sounds of turning turbines could be heard. Machines started coming to life, and liquid and gas ran across the pipes laid. The other pipes glowed blue as electricity surged through the cables. 

This ran for some time, with the glow getting brighter and brighter. Workers standing atop of wire-reinforced platforms gave the thumbs-ups, and the head worker nodded before turning off the machine. The room dulled in brightness, only lit by the fluorescent tubes and many ground-based lights. 

A man in a blue suit stood on the control and command booth at the top, smiling satisfactorily at the scene unfolding before him, going smoothly, exactly as he had planned.

********************

_**Syndicate Underground Command Centre   
Command Booth F3-74  
Friday, January 07, 2033**_

""What is this? What is supposed to do?" An aging man in a lab coat questioned, looking at the mechanism tested earlier. "Answer me!"  
A man in a blue suit turned away from the window, and looked at the man, and explained, "Oh, simple we activate the machine, the system get the air from the air above the ground, and, how should I say it... _poison_ it. The air would be sent into the domestic air purifiers... and..." the man's smiling face twisted into a sneer as he continued, "you know the rest..."  
The scientist looked with wide-eyed horror. The way the man said it sounded as if it meant nothing to him at all! That wasn't in the contract! You cheated me! You..."  
The man in the blue suit waved his hands casually and ordered, "Take him away!"  
All that could be heard was the scientist screaming curses madly at the man as he got dragged away by the Syndicate troops. The man's sneering face straightened and he pretended to tidy his hair and suit. _The Boss would be pleased..._

The man walked coolly towards 'The Boss' 's office. _Your identification, please... _a dull, mechanical voice came through the speakers. He took the card clipped on his pocket and tapped it lightly on the small pad. A waited for a while, before he heard a double _beep_. _Welcome, Commander Fuji_, the machine droned as lifelessly as ever, completely showing indifference to whether or not Fuji was a high-ranking Syndicate officer or not, _It appears the Boss is expecting you. _

_Good... I can just see that promotion coming my way. _Fuji brushed off some dust from his suit, and entered with confidence into the dully lit room. A writing desk was placed in the middle, and a high, throne like object loomed over it. Whoever sitting on the 'throne' was a portly person. "Ah, Commander Fuji," a deep, gruff voice said from behind the 'throne'. The huge, throne like object turned slowly over, and a man in the shadows looked at Fuji. Fuji can hardly make out the person's face. 

"How is it going? Fine, I hope." the deep gruff voice of the man asked. 

"Yes, Boss. Plan B of _Project Sturmanderung _is now ready. We're ready to activate the machines located around Neo Japan upon your word."  
"Excellent." The deep voice boomed. "That pathetic government and its police organization lackey would have to succumb to our wishes. But I wouldn't execute the _Project_... not just yet." He paused a while, as if thinking of something important. The silence was uncomfortable, especially to a person who could hardly make out the features of the other man sitting there.

"What about-- the Dark Ninjas?" The Boss asked suddenly.

Fuji snapped out of the silence trance, and replied promptly, "Yes, the TCTF will know about it. It appears that the squad leader's intercom was not deactivated." 

The Boss laughed a deep rolling laugh. "Good. Once they find out about them, they would have no choice but to use that weapon of theirs."

"Forgive me for asking, Boss... but what is this weapon of theirs?"

"Not _what_, Commander. _Who._" A look of confusion came over Fuji's face. _A person? _Fuji thought to himself. _ Who could that person possibly be? A person as a weapon? _Fuji decided to leave that to the Boss to answer. 

Fuji could see the light that was the Boss's eyes got smaller, yet seem to glow a little as the Boss narrowed his eyes, almost as if filled with hatred and anger upon thinking of the answer to Fuji's question. Fuji felt a little uncomfortable. _Maybe I shouldn't have questioned the Boss..._

But the Boss answered anyway, "Agent Konoko." The Boss said, a little more loudly and gruffly than usual.

"But I thought she was no longer in the TCTF? The TCTF considered her as an enemy, a rogue agent! Surely they wouldn't--" 

"No, Fuji. The TCTF _will _use her. I shall make sure of that." The Boss replied, followed by another of his deep laughter.

Fuji belched "How?" before he could stop himself. He realised he was not really in the position to question the Boss and present with him so many questions, as if doubting him.

But like before, the Boss did not mind, "You shall soon see, Fuji. Our scientists have given us some interesting information... very interesting information indeed..." The voice trailed off, and and the Boss's mouth turned into a scythe like shape, smiling in satisfaction.

# AUTHOR'S NOTES:

**1**Ah, I did state this in the 'PreOni' fanfic of mine... and noticed a somewhat similarity between the first chapter of PreOni, and the section of this chapter?

* So... how is it? I hope you will like it! I think I have made Griffin a little too... erm... soft, haven't I? Heh...   
* As usual, please review it! Thanks!   
* Visit, and post a the forums of, OniChars: 


	6. Chapter 5: Rebirth of the Chrysalite

**_Rebirth of the Chrysalite  
_CHAPTER 5: Rebirth of the Chrysalite**

**_Dr. Hasegawa's Lab/Konoko's Apt._**_**  
Friday, January 07, 2033**_

The young, purple-haired woman entered the kitchen and reached for the feather-duster hanging behind the folding doors of the kitchen. Konoko found herself once again with nothing to do, and she had decided to dust the lab which her father used to work in. _ Well, it is a good thing. All this dust are getting on my nerves. But I wasn't so upset when I kill those strikers. _She remembered bitterly and sighed.

She walked to her room and began dusting the place. Each speck of dust was sucked up by the duster, as if it was a sort of vacuum cleaner, and stuck on the feathers, clinging on relentlessly, as if they would disintegrate if they had let go. She dusted high and low, making sure the cupboards were free of any dust. 

As she was dusting, she came across a few boxes. She pulled out these boxes which she had brought along with her when she moved here from her old apartment. She tore opened one of the boxes, and found a few photographs. She took out one, and it showed her with a few of a her good friends when she was still a trainee at the TCTF. _Ah, there's Amelia, always the one thinking of playing new tricks on the trainer. And... there's Jeremy. We use to make fun of his curly hair. _Konoko couldn't help but chuckle as those memories of by-gone times flooded her mind. All the things she had done while she was still a young girl training as an officer in the TCTF, completely innocent, without knowledge of the dangers of the world, knowing nothing about lies, deceit and treachery which she had later come to know about in the later part of her life. She had tried not to think of those events, and so far, it didn't seem to work very well, but she did see some 'improvement'. 

She smiled a little when she looked at the picture once more, and placed it back into the box (after dusting it.). _I'll dust these later. _She thought to herself, and, somewhat absent-mindedly, rose herself. "Ow!" she cried as she bumped her head slightly on the desk when she rose. _What's with me? _She thought while rubbing her head as a bump formed (which disappeared soon after.). _It's not as if I have metallic hair and I can bump my head around. _She shook her head at her absent-mindedness. She didn't know what's up these few days. Somehow, she seem to have been either clumsy, absent-minded, or just forgetful... everything that was completely out of her character! 

_Something must be wrong_, she suspected. _It's as if... _she shivered a little, and decided not to care.

Konoko continued dusting the room, making sure she wouldn't step onto anything along her way. The room didn't seem as small as she thought, and the machines her father used when he was still around completed the illusion of a small room. She made especial care the machines and computers are dusted, as well as making sure she did not accidentally touched them in any way. As she dusted, she noticed a small gap between the machine and the wall, and slid herself into the gap.She gasped as she found herself inside what seemed like a continuation of her father's laboratory. A part where she had not seen before. The room did look quite deep, but the light that crept through from the 'other side' only managed to lit a little of the room. She walked around, looking for a light-switch, and felt it. The lights turned on, and illuminated the lab. It look a lot more dusty than the other parts of the room._ Why haven't I noticed this place before? Hmm... more work to do, I guess._

However, she hardly did any dusting because most of the time, she just looked and studied the apparatus and tools curiously, trying to guess what each one did or was used for using her (somewhat lacking) scientific knowledge she had learned while in the TCTF Training Academy. There were all sorts of tools, and suggested that her father used to be a biology professor or had studied medicine. Anatomy charts, dissection equipment (or at least that was what she believe they were.), a book on medical studies, etc. 

_Hey, what's this? _Konoko wondered, green eyes looking on a grey-red object. She went closer, and realized it was a laptop computer. She had told herself not to help herself to her father's equipment, but then, what's the harm in looking through the laptop? Konoko's little-girl curiosity swelled up in her as she took the laptop out and placed it on a desk beside her bed. 

_Here we go... _Konoko rubbed her hands, and pressed a green button. The laptop cover sprung up gently, and she turned it on. An array of words and pictures went up and down the screen as she waited for it to complete its loading sequence. Soon, it was done, and a green screen appeared suddenly, with large bold, even greener words painted across the screen.

It said:

*Top Secret: The Chrysalis _/adc/hsg/bio/file3/proj_5/_*  
*[CONTINUE]*

Konoko gasped once more as her eyes scanned the words 'The Chrysalis". _No... this isn't true, isn't it? _She couldn't believe she had finally stumbled across the very files her father had created while working on the Chrysalis. She clicked on the button 'Continue' and a stream of words appeared. 

*Project Data-log*  
*Entry 1a - About the Chrysalis, summary*   
*Type - Project*  
*The government was spending too much money on Atmosphere Processing, and as a result, it will not be able to strengthen the economy with such hefty expenditures. And there would come a point where the Processors would simply not work.   
That was why I had created the Chrysalis. Once implanted, the Chrysalis will allow a person's body to sustain itself in even the most poisonous of atmospheres.  
I have extracted the genetic codes of my son and daughter, Muro and Mai, for the prototypes. They shall be the first to benefit from it. I would not allow them to live in a world where the very air they breathe is potent.   
This is the best I could do for my beloved Jamie.*

Konoko scrolled further down the logs, and came across another, more personal one. She scanned through the words of each entry, and with each entry, especially the personal ones, she felt herself knowing more and more about her father.

One entry, in particular, caught her attention more than the others, and it sent shivers down her spine.

*The Chrysalis fixes damaged tissues and cells, and as such, a Chrysalite (a host for the Chrysalis) would have wounds healing at a much faster rate than a normal human/non-Chrysalite. This mean, however, that a Chrysalite is, theoretically, not capable of being destructed by conventional means. Any wounds inflicted by a weapon, be it clubs, fists, and even guns, would just heal.  
Also, when a non-Chrysalite gets old, his or her cells will deteriorate. But a Chrysalis wouldn't. Old cells will simply be replaced by new ones, making them, evidently, immortal. The Chrysalis itself is also anti-aging, capable of regenerating_ itself_ through a means even we are not sure of.  
But this also mean one terrible thing. If we implanted a Chrysalis into the 'wrong person', it could cause potential trouble. The prospect of a person, a criminal, who can't be killed by conventional means is chilling.  
However, immortality and indestructibility is something I believe would be a great gift for my children.*

Konoko shivered once more. _A Chrysalite is immortal and indestructible? _Her face remained frozen in shock as she many thoughts went through her brain. Suddenly, it seemed as if all her nightmares which she had almost every night didn't seem so dream-like after all...

********************

**_TCTF Science Prison (West)  
Friday, January 07, 2003_**

Dr. Vincent stared at the green computer screen, which cast an eerie green glow on his face, and flashed everytime he switched to a new task. _Sigh... this wasn't what I has hoped for. I guess I was a little too hasty in accepting that offer to be on the team to study the Chrysalis. But who can blame a young scientist from being curious?_

Dr. Tori yawned loudly, his eyes barely opened. He growled and cursed each time he keyed in something wrong into the computer scanner's calculations or data-logs.

"Some interesting experiments, uh?" Vincent asked, grinning broadly and boyishly at Tori. Tori looked up from his screen and forced a smile. He stretched himself slightly, and answered, "Ah, all this boring analysis and computer work for a little fame and fortune. I've asked for it." He paused a little, and continued suddenly, "So, Vincent, got anything yet?"

"Well... no. The Daodan Probe should have detected something and gave us some readings on the Chrysalis by now! I wonder what went wrong. Could it be that the Probe has malfunctioned or something?" Vincent looked up and stared at a moderately large, grey scanner-like object that hung from the white ceiling. A body was placed on it. The body of the dead Syndicate Boss Muro Hasegawa. Even in this state (death), Vincent didn't feel really comfortable working with it in the Probe-room.

"Nah. We've checked it everyday for defects, right? It is working fine. Maybe it is your calculations?"

"If I were in charge, I would have asked for a direct dissection of this Muro." Tori's faced grimaced a when he continued, "but no... we have to listen to that old coot of a head scientist."

Vincent chuckled. "Hmm... you sound unlike your usual self." He said as he continued typing, "Why this faint hint of a rebellious streak coming out from you?"

Tori yawned once more. "I think I'm just tired and frustrated, that's all. I can't believe it has been days since we started work and still no hands-on experiments. Now what time is it?" He glanced at the clock, and grunted. 

"Just think of the pay we would get when we're done, Tori!" Vincent said. 

Tori nodded absent-mindedly, "Hey, what say I go and buy us something to drink, Vin?" 

"Ah... yes. Nice suggestion. I would like my usual: coffee. Man, even that bland, sewage water like coffee the from that vending machine would make me a happy man!"  
Tori stood up and looked beyond Vincent at another busy (and tired) scientist. "How about you, Kenji? What would you like?"   
The scientist just said "coffee" without looking up from his screen.

Before Tori could open his mouth, Vincent said suddenly, "And here, Tori... I know you didn't bring enough money, " he grinned once more as he reached for his cash-card from his breast-pocket. "My treat... again." he said as he handed the thin rectangular object to Tori.

Tori returned Vincent's grin as he took the card and left the room. Vincent sighed and shook his head.

********************

The large door slide open, and Tori took his time, stretching himself now and then with each each step. The hallway he was walking on was dead silent, except for the whirring of the computer terminals lining the hallway. 

He strolled towards the canteen, and scanned his pass on the Identifier installed beside the door before the door opened. Although brightly lit as usual, no one was there except for a group of four scientists having a meal before making their way back home. They were chattering, and occasionally laughing at some jokes. 

Tori looked across the wide and long canteen, and found the vending machine. Before he could walk four steps, one of the scientists, at the table called out, "Hey Tori!" He waved at him, "Tori! Join us over here!" Tori gave them a wave and advanced towards them, putting on his most cheerful smile. "Oh hi, guys!" 

One scientist shifted himself sideways and patted on the space beside him. "C'mon, Tori, siddown! Let's talk."

"Oh, no guys... no time. I still have a_ lot_ of things to do." 

"Alright then. You're the big-shot here." Another scientist piped in, nudging Tori.   
"Yeah... he was the one chosen to work on the Chrysalis." The scientist who called him over here added.

"Now, would you stop that?" Tori said good-naturedly. "This Chrysalis experiment isn't as exciting as you think. In fact... it is a downright bore."

"Nah... you're just saying this to make us happy." Another one said laughingly. 

"I'll be willing to trade my post for yours, if not for the money." Tori said, rather truthfully. He did wish to give up the position, but the incentive of the high bonus he would be paid managed to keep him on, but barely. 

"Now don't go around telling people what I've said..." Tori winked.

"Alright, you can go now, Tori. We shall interrogate you regarding the Chrysalis project some other day." The youngest scientist said and chuckled.

Tori rolled his eyes, did a mock-bow, and said "Thank you..." full of sarcasm in his tone. 

"We better leave. It is getting terribly late. My wife will scream at me! The bed, here I come!" a scientist said, deliberately emphasizing the word 'bed', just to annoy Tori. Tori groaned at the scientist. _They are terribly immature for scientists... Heh... Speak for yourself, Tori._ Tori thought and smiled a little at himself.

He resumed his path towards the vending machine, hurrying a little. He could almost visualize Vincent's head collapsing on the terminal from exhaustion. He grinned at that thought. Now that was a sight he had wished to see.

Suddenly, gunshots could be heard outside the canteen, alarms and klaxons sounded followed screams. _What in the blazes... _he thought, and ran out of the canteen. The hallway was lit red by the klaxons, and Tori noticed that the group of scientists were equally shocked and were running towards the entrance in the opposite direction. 

"There's a killer in there!" One screamed.

Tori ran this time, and entered the security code to the door. "C'mon, c'mon! Hurry up and process, you piece of junk!" He screamed at the Identifier. A beep sounded, and the huge door slide open. Tori barely took a step and stood in horror, eyes widening so wide, it seemed as if they were to pop out of the socket anytime. 

The white tiles were covered with red stains. _Blood... _ Tori shook himself back to his senses, and looked around. 

He saw two bodies, realized they were Vincent's and Kenji. Blood streamed out of the bodies of both of them. He noticed that Vincent was still breathing, and ran towards his body.

Tori knelt down, and held half of Vincent's body and placed it on his lap. He shook the body. "Vincent! Vincent!"

Vincent's eyes opened suddenly and saw Tori, face once again twisted in agony. "Tori..." He said in a gasping tone. "The... the... body... it isn't dead... it..." Vincent was choking in his own blood, and found it terribly difficult to speak. 

"Vincent! Please! Stay with me!" Tori begged hard, wishing that his friend would be strong enough to remain alive, but he knew it would happen otherwise.

"M-muro! Muro isn't d--dead ye-yet! The Chry---chrysalis kept him a-a-alive" Vincent choked, lots of blood suddenly spewing out from his mouth. Tori shook Vincent once more, trying as hard as he could to make him stay awake, but it was no use. Some more blood flowed out, and Vincent's eyes rolled up, exposing only the whites. Tori looked away from Vincent's face, tears swelling in his eyes, but he held it back, though it was a very hard thing to do. He looked back down, and ran his palms across Vincent eyes to seal them, and laid him on the floor.

_Muro's still alive... _A gun. He needed a gun. He searched around frantically for one, and found one lying beside Kenji's badly wounded body. He sealed Kenji's eyes before taking the gun and checked to see if it was loaded.

The alarms had stopped ringing, and silence returned. Tori shivered and felt goose bumps on his skin. He felt an uncomfortable chill on his skin, as if he was been watched by someone or something. He knew Muro was somewhere in the room. He could be--

Tori spun back suddenly, and came face to face with a gun pointed in at his face. It was Muro!

Muro took hold of his gun with unbelievable speed, yanked it out from Tori's trembling hands and threw it across the floor, where it cracked a little and slide on the smooth tiles.

"Looking for me?" Muro said with an unpleasant grin and look in his sparkling green eyes. He sneered and moved a little closer to the trembling scientist. The gun was pointed on Tori's tempers.

Muro gave a soft laugh, and locked his eyes on the scientists' frightened blue ones. "Any last death wish before I blow your brains out?"

Tori gritted his teeth and tried to stay calm. He knew his end was near. Nothing he could lose. "You wouldn't get away with this, Muro Hasegawa... the TCTF will--"

Muro's eyes suddenly flared up "NEVER. MENTION. THE. TCTF. IN. FRONT. OF. ME!" With each word, he will pushed Tori's head with the gun. 

Tori's saw Muro pressing slightly down on the trigger, getting closer and closer to releasing a bullet from the gun.

"Now... meet your maker!" Muro said and pulled the trigger.

The last thing Tori saw was a twisted, evil smile on Muro's face before darkness engulfed him.

********************

**_Dr. Hasegawa's Lab/Konoko's Apt._**_**  
Friday, January 07, 2033**_

Konoko dropped her dish on the floor. She felt a sharp jolt on her body, and the feeling made every hair on her rise. The feeling was familiar, almost like the time where she was following the Syndicate's Master ninja/assasin, Mukade. It was, in fact, uncomfortably familiar.   
Konoko knew something terribly wrong was happening. It was another Chrysalite, one she fought hard not to think of.

She remembered the data-log she had read. _No... this isn't happening...   
_But it was, or it felt so.   
Muro. It was Muro. He had returned from the dead. 

Konoko's mind was in a state of complete mess, as she felt a sudden, faint feeling on her. She felt for a chair, and sat herself down. Feeling the need to faint was something she had not felt for a long time. 

Muro's back. All her dreams seem to be telling her this. She could have done something about it! Those damned TCTF scientists collected the body! Why didn't she dispose of them? Now, it seem as if the peace and tranquility she wanted was gone once more...

Konoko hit the table with her fists in rage, spilling the coffee she had made for herself on the table. A slight hint of a glow surrounded her body, but it disappeared as Konoko tried and succeeded in calming herself down.

She closed her eyes, and cleared her mind of the disturbing thoughts, and thought of what to do next.

**#AUTHOR'S NOTE(s):**

* How's this chapter? This has got to be the fastest update for ROTC ever! And the longest so far.  
* Well, sorry if it is too long-winded for you 'short-and-sweet' types!  
* Please review and comment! Thanks!

* Visit OniChars -   
* Visit OniChars' Forum! - 


	7. Chapter 6: Returnings

**_Rebirth of the Chrysalite  
_CHAPTER 6: Returnings**

**_Kazumi High-rise  
Rooftop  
Friday, January 07, 2033_**

The sniper got out his sniper rifle and adjusted the systems on it, making sure it's settings matches those of the rifle-stand he had placed earlier on, and attached it onto the stand. Reaching from his pouch, he took out an ammo clip and inserted it into the rifle. A _blip _sounded, signalling that the ammo clip had been reconfigured to fit the rifle, and was ready to fire.

He peered through the scope, and saw through the green interface his target. Slowly and steadily, he placed the centre crosshair of the rifle's aiming scope right on the target's head. He pressed a few buttons on the rifle-stand, and with a slight click, the rifle locked in position. The sniper prayed hard that the target would not choose to leave at this moment, which would waste his efforts.

Heaven was with him, for the target still stayed put. The sniper positioned one of his fingers on the trigger, and pressed it.

A bullet flew out of the nozzle, smashing through the glass panel and impacted on the target's head. The target dropped dead on its desk. He did not feel a pang of guilt at all. A sniper can't afford to have a conscience when killing. This would be a hindrance to their job.

He preferred bullets to those new energy weapons anytime. They were more accurate, and can fire more shots than energy weapons, which would have expended an entire energy cell clip in less than ten shots. Ammo clips and energy cells don't come cheap (energy weapons are even more expensive.), because of the technology embedded in each clip and cell which allowed them to reconfigure themselves to whichever gun or rifle a person is using. 

_Another job accomplished. _The sniper smiled, satisfied with himself, _time to get my pay. _

He laid low as he detached the rifle from its hold on the rifle-stand, disassembled the rifle-stand itself, and made his way to the roof-access doors swiftly.

********************

**_TCTF Kyoto Headquarters  
Night shift  
Friday, January 07, 2033_**

The office was quiet except for the rapid scribbling and scratching of a pen. Commander Griffin frowned a little as he read through the dozens of proposals made by the Heads of Departments of the TCTF. Their proposal had asked for ridiculous amounts of money being spent, as if the TCTF have not already enough money problems to deal with in the recent crisis. In his job, he had to make countless decisions, and every decision would affect the TCTF in one way or another. And he could see that some of the reports and proposals were beneficial, but damaging as well, because they could easily heighten the TCTF's money problems, and might bring the TCTF in the red.

However, what worried him the most was the events that happened when he had asked Captain Daniel to report to him about the progress of the search. He had heard from a recording about Dark Ninjas. The TCTF had realised that these ninjas are Chrysalites themselves, and being that, their speed and agility would have been terrifying. But they were only rumoured to exist. However, not only did the sound-recording provided by Captain Daniel proved their existence, it also demonstrated that the Syndicate were several steps ahead of them in Chrysalis development. _I hope those scientists at the Science Prison would get it done. I should never have purged the databanks of information of the Chrysalis years ago. Now we would have to restudy it... and with Dr. Hasegawa now gone... _

He was not sure if the TCTF would be ready if the Syndicate were to have more Chrysalite-troops. He imagined a crime organization, already difficult to control, having hundreds of Chrysalite-troops, each impervious to conventional weapons, and could only be destroyed by weapons that the WCG had banned. 

A feeling of age crept up to him, and not for the first time. He looked back at his forty year career, and how he had worked hard to climb to the rank of Regional Commander. Now, at sixty, he needed a new successor soon... but who? He needed someone that would be capable of handling the amount of pressure and stress, something he had been able to do in his twenty years as Regional Commander. 

He tapped gently on the buttons of his intercom system, and said, "Ryu, ask Commander Ichiro* to report to me."  
Shortly, the voice of Ryu, Ichiro's secretary replied, "Commander Ichiro will be back in ten minutes, sir. Should I inform him to return quickly, Commander?"  
"Never mind, Ryu. I can wait for him. Thank you." He said, and tapped once more on the intercom button.

  
Some time later, the voice of Commander Ichiro came through Griffin's intercom. "Commander, sir. Ichiro reporting!"  
Griffin pressed a button, and the door slide open to reveal a tall young and smart looking man with quite a pleasant looking face. Ichiro bowed, and entered the office.

"You called for me, sir?" Ichiro asked, although that question did seem a little stupid. _Of course he called for me! _

"Yes..." Griffin stood up from his chair, and walked towards Ichiro. "I have been observing you and your performance, and have been extremely pleased."

Ichiro couldn't help but smile at Griffin's appraisal.

Griffin continued, "As such, I am choosing you as my successor for the position of Regional Commander. If I were to step down, and uh, in case something happened to me, you shall be the next Regional Commander.".

Ichiro's legs weakened slightly, and his whole face seemed to want to burst out with joy, but he managed to compost himself. He straightened up, chest puffed up. "Thank you, sir! I wouldn't let you down."

"Someone once told me that in her first mission, but became a rogue agent instead." Griffin shook his head and sighed.  
"Was that Konoko you were talking about?", Ichiro asked.

Griffin nodded. "You do know her, don't you?" Ichiro nodded in reply, glowing slightly red in the face. _From what? _

"Let's not talk about her. Don't wish to bring up such things."   
"Well," Griffin continued suddenly, "Better do a good job when you take over, Ichiro! It might be sooner than you think." He said with a weak smile and patted Ichiro on the back, before pacing back to his seat, and sat down. "In case something happen to me, the close-circuit TV has captured everything. You don't have to worry about your fellow jealous or unhappy Commanders."

"Yes, sir." Ichiro nodded, beaming proudly at Griffin. "As I've said, I will do my best."

"I'm sure you will. That is all... you may leave."

Ichiro bowed again and left.

Griffin looked at Ichiro leaving the office and turning to make his way down, before closing the doors. He returned to his documents, and thought about whether to accept the Heads of Departments' proposals.

  
Five minutes later, Griffin was lying on the desk, still sitting on the chair, as if having collapsed of exhaustion. He was facing sideways, eyes still opened, but staring into nothingness. Blood was flowing out from his mouth. A small hole had appeared on the glass panel behind him. The creator of this hole was lodged deep inside Griffin's head...

********************

**_Syndicate Underground Headquarters  
Friday, January 07, 2033_**

"Sir, Boss Muro has arrived,".   
The Boss, seated in the shadows smiled as he heard Fuji report. He sat up.   
"Good. I shall see to him personally."

The Boss heaved himself out from his huge chair, and moved out of the shadows. Fuji did not like the face of the Boss. It was easily the most hideous face he had ever seen. White as sheet, with veins and arteries in plain view running across his face, as if the skin were translucent, and a small, thorn like object growing out of his forehead. He wore huge, yellow-white armour, presumably life-support systems, judging from the two cords connected to the back of his head.

The Boss turned to Fuji, his cybernetic components humming lightly when he turned. "Tell the sectional heads to await me at Hall 2D. We shall welcome Boss Muro."

Fuji bowed, "Yes sir", and disappeared out the Boss' office.

  
Muro stood in front of a glass-door like structure, with two Elite Strikers beside him as escort. In a second, he saw several figures, with a huge one in the middle, and wore a pleased look on his face.

The cybernetic Boss bowed, followed by Fuji and the sectional heads. "You were right, Boss. The Chrysalis did keep you alive."

Muro's cold stare swept the sectional commanders, making them shift uncomfortably slightly. He turned to the cybernetic Boss.

"I hope, Barabas, the organization I have worked so hard to built is still in perfect condition?" Barabas, the cybernetic Boss, nodded in reply. 

Muro, flanked by the sectional heads, Barabas, and the two Elite Strikers, proceeded to the elevator that would take them down into the heart of the facility. Muro asked suddenly, "And what of _Sturmanderung_ B?"

Barabas was quick to reply. "Commander Fuji reported that it is complete. With a few tests under various conditions, the Project will be executed at around late next week."

Fuji smiled in his heart, expecting a praise from Muro. However, Muro did not seem as pleased as Fuji had hoped. "This is not good enough. I want everything up and ready, fully tested by the start of next week, do I make myself clear, Fuji?"  
"Yes, sir." Fuji swallowed. He had never personally met Boss Muro before, and now felt the terror in his presence.

When Muro reached the staircase, he dismissed the two Elite Strikers, as well as the sectional heads. He did not want them to waste time welcoming him. 

He turned back to Fuji, and continued, "However, I would very much like to see how much you have done. Fuji, show me." Muro ordered. Fuji bowed, and led Muro, with Barabas, into an elevator leading deep down into the headquarters.

********************

**_Konoko's Apartment  
Living Room  
Saturday, January 08, 2033_**

"At around 11:30PM yesterday, Regional Commander Terrance Griffin was found dead in his office, with a bullet found inside his head. The TCTF suspected this to be a sniper attack, resembling the many other cases where other top WCG officials were found dead. The TCTF believed this was done by the same sniper, or the same organization, bent on causing major disruption to the Government."

Konoko sank back in her couch. Commander Griffin is dead? Everything had happened so fast. Even though Griffin had betrayed her some time ago, she did not feel glad to hear the news. She had let Griffin go, and Griffin had come to her aid in fighting Muro and his men. She was not even sure she the reason she felt bad was for him.  
She looked back up at the television, and heard the reporter saying, "Following the death of Commander Griffin, the role of Regional Commander shall be assumed by Commander Ichiro Kurosawa."

_Ichiro Kurosawa? Wasn't that the annoying boy, the troublemaker of the TCTF Academy? Regional Commander?  
_Konoko shook her head and a short 'hah' came out of her. 

She heard the reporter mentioning about the resurrection of Muro Hasegawa. "Muro Hasegawa's whereabouts are currently unknown, and the public was brought further into a state of panic as several new bombing cases, with at least one case using a lethal technological and bio weapon, had happened in various parts of Neo Japan.  
"Citizens were outraged at the lack of progress and work done by the TCTF, despite claims by the TCTF that they would resolve these problems as soon as possible.

The green haired reporter went to a tall, young man and began probing him. "Commander, Ichiro, what do you have to say about this? The public had voiced out their concerns and some were worried that if a Regional Commander in such a heavily protected building can't be safe, what make them think they will be?"

Commander Ichiro groaned. These reporters and the media never give them a rest, but the public deserved to know. Konoko could feel the stressfulness right now, but she also saw a mask of determination painted on Ichiro's thin face as he said the following, "I know we have said this many times, but I advise the public not to panic, as much as it seem or sound impossible to do. We shall double our efforts. I give you my word that the TCTF will not rest until the person or organization responsible for the late Commander's death are brought to justice. Muro Hasegawa will be caught, and his Syndicate will be brought down."

She felt an unpleasant feeling yesterday, and had realised that Muro had returned. This report confirmed everything. She could feel the intoxicating presence of her evil brother. She had tried to think of something, but she felt terrible all of a sudden, seeming as if she would faint all of a sudden. Such a feeling was completely the opposite of what she had expected to feel as a Chrysalite. it was supposed to boost her strength and resilience. But... Muro's sudden resurrection must be the cause of all this. 

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Ichiro's voice once more. 

"Konoko, if you can hear me, we need your help in dealing with Muro!" A reported budged in, "Is it true that this agent Konoko you've mentioned is the sister of Muro?"

"I would answer nothing of that, miss." Ichiro said in an annoyed tone, and brushed her aside, keeping his eyes on the camera. "Konoko, please... Muro is a monster, we can't stop him, and we know nothing about his location. Only you could possibly hope to find her."

Konoko's mind was clouded. She had tried her best to forget the past and what had happened, and now, returning to the TCTF was amongst the last of her thoughts, if they were in her thoughts at all. But how could she let more of the men and women of the TCTF die fighting the Syndicate and Muro, and not help? She had done enough damage herself back then when she had bent on killing Griffin herself. All the TCTF agents she had slaughtered while on her quest to search for answers. Deep in her heart, she believed helping the TCTF might clear her of the crimes she had committed, or at least give her a peace of mind. By helping the TCTF, less agents would have to sacrifice themselves in a futile effort to deal with Muro. She knew she was the only one who could possibly hope to stop Muro.

She looked up at the television, and saw the bloody remains of the Science team working on the Chrysalis itself. She could almost see Muro's every move, inflicting damage on the scientists' bodies. She would not want this to happen to more people if she could help it. 

The news programme ended, and Konoko rose to her full height and walked away from the couch to her bedroom. She opened the doors of the cupboard, and it revealed an assortment of clothing. She looked at the TCTF uniform and armour she used to wear while on active duty. It was slightly worn out from all the action it had seen, but was otherwise, still in perfect condition. It was something she had worn proudly before going rogue. 

She reached for the cupboards' keypads and pressed a few keys, and in a while, the uniform slide out.

********************

**_TCTF Kyoto Headquarters  
Saturday, January 08, 2033_**

Konoko rode her blue-green motorcycle into the carpark of the TCTF Headquarters, and found herself a suitable space and parked it gently. She removed her helmet, and shook her head somewhat violently to loosen her hair, which had tightened slightly while she had her helmet on.

The silvery armour of Konoko's uniform glistened in the lights that lit the carpark. She had tried to get use to the uniform once more while at home, and still, it felt a little uncomfortable. The shoes were annoyingly small as well. _And to think I have not worn it for only a few days. _She had chosen her own pair of shoes instead.She walked a little hurriedly towards the door leading into the headquarters from the carpark. 

The Kyoto headquarters was new to her, having worked all her life only in the Osaka Headquarters, and soon after, in the now destructed Tokyo Regional Headquarters. Konoko knew this headquarters was much older than the rest (in fact, the first to be built after the forming of the TCTF.), but it felt and smelled newer. The walls had a much better and fresher looking palette of colours than the other bases she knew, and was a vast difference from the standard, bland looking buildings common in this period of time. It have Konoko an inviting feel, seemingly to wish her a happy day. 

She walked into the common area, and found herself not only facing a fountain, but also curious stares by the other agents working in the headquarters and some gasps which echoed in the wide area.   
She noticed a few of blue-clad TCTF light-security agents looking at, and presumably, talking about her. As she moved closer, a few of them moving away from her, as if she was a sort of plague, threatening to wipe them out if they were even a metre closer. She knew the reason they did not attack was because Commander Ichiro had told them about her return.

But still..._ Sigh... I guess people's opinion of me will not change in the days to come. _She spotted a building directory, and went forward to try to find the way to the top floor, or wherever the Regional Commander's office was. The words was quite small because of the detail it contained. Each and every room in the twenty or so stories headquarters was listed. Whoever had designed it wasn't keen on making it user-friendly, and at least readable. Konoko strained herself to read the words. If the Chrysalis had enhanced her body, it had not enhanced her eyesight, or at least enhanced her ability to read small words. The Tokyo Headquarters already had computerized directories, she saw no reason why this base shouldn't have it.

As she was browsing, she heard a voice from behind. "Hey, Agent Konoko!"

Konoko turned around, and saw a smiling Commander Ichiro waving at him. There was no one accompanying him, which Konoko took an immediate liking to. _At least he is not afraid of me and trusts me. _

Konoko stood straight and saluted. "Agent Konoko reporting for duty, sir!" 

Ichiro just smiled a little. "Just like your old self, always wanting to impress your superiors." Konoko turned a little pink, and Ichiro laughed a little. Konoko could felt a bit of bitterness under that laugh, as if a ton of bricks was on his shoulders from all the pressure and stress he was now facing. "Konoko, no need for this much formality just yet. Just say 'Ichiro'."

"Ok, I know, Konoko. It might be a little hard for you to return to the TCTF after what had happened between you and this organisation. I have appealed to the Board of Directors to pardon your crimes. The accepted, for the time being. Don't worry, this isn't a trap or anything. Everything will be fine... until the ass-kicking part." He patted Konoko on the shoulders to comfort her as they start to make their way to the elevators situated somewhere deeper in the ground floor.

Konoko did not feel as tense as before after she heard Ichiro's words. 

"Well, Ichiro... this was unexpected, you being Regional Commander."

Ichiro was quiet for a while before replying, "Ye-ah. When Griffin told me I would be his successor, I didn't know how happy I was. I know you still remember me as that troublemaker, annoying kid? I think people change sometimes."

Konoko nodded. "Yeah... I guess."

"Come, we must make haste. I would introduce you, or rather, _ re_-introduce you to the agents. And a new weapon we have been developing."

Konoko looked mildly puzzled, "A new weapon?"

"Yes, and just in time for use too. I'll show it to you, and to the rest of the agents, when we get to the fourteenth floor." 

Soon, the two reached the elevator, and rode silently up.

**Author's Notes**

* That's for Chapter 6. This one is quite long, but I foresee that the next few chapters would be shorter.   
* If I had the time, I would continue with Chapter 7 as right after this (with a break, of course. :-) ).  
* As usual, please review and tell me what you think, especially the way I have done the Konoko returning to the TCTF part. I believe it might not be convincing for some of you.

* As before, please visit my sites!:   
_OniChars _- _  
_


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